The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-01-05
A MAIL THIEF.
CATCHING A POSTMASTER WHO
STOLE LETTERS.
Clever Work by Special Agent
of the Postoffice-A Squir-
rel Hunt and Its
Result,

Result.
BY far the largest percentage of mail
thieves ore among the Postnasters, their
! assistants and the Star Route messengers.
The way they arc caught is sometimes
very interesting. as the following case,
told to a correspondent If the New Or
leans States by Special Agent John NJ.
Crowell, will show:
Some years ago numerous deprcda-
tions on registered mail matter were COM
mitted in the neighborhood of Vienna or
Minden, La. Registered letters would
turn up with money contents either short
or totally lacking. The complaints came
from half dozen little towns, and the
; department soon centercd the mischief
at the distributing point where all the
mails concentrated. Crowell was detailed
for the work, and he arrived on the scene
as stranger who was looking around to
buy farm. He was nearly worried to
death practicing this racket, as about
100 of the adjoining farmers wished to
sell. Crowell quietly watched. He first
placed the messenger who carried the
pouches to the railway station under sur
veillance, but soon was intuitively salts
fed that he was not the man. Then he
rcas >ned that it must lie the Postmaster,
and he gave that worthy his attention.
Casually he became acquainted with him,
loafed around the office, but saw nothing
VIII ch his trained eye thought suspicious.
Peep holes were utilized when the Post
master was busy at night, but Crowell' s
efforts were unrewarded. In the mean
time the robberies continued, even while
Crowell was on the watch. The
department sent him the envelope
to examine, and suddenly he
saw how the thing was done
Many little postoffices have no postmark
stamp, but simply cancel the stamp and
write the postotlice and date in ink
Crowcll suddenly remembered that all
the losses were from Offices of this kind.
Sure of his man now, his surveillance
was rcdoublcd. In Studying the post
masters private habits, he found that he
was fond of hunting, and every evening
or two would take his gun and have a
stroll. Sometimes he brought back a
bird or two or squirrel, oftener moth
ing. Crowell noticed, also, that he ever
went in the same direction, 80 he fol-
lowed him one evening. Dodging be-
hind trees, lying down behind stumps,
and using every effort to watch him and
keep himself concealed, he saw his man
90 to an old tree, look around, part some
vines and tumble among them. Soon he
went away, and then Crowcll went to the
tree. To his qualification he found in
side hollow, concealed by the vines,
numerous register envelopes, which a
close examination proved to be duplicates
of the ones forwarded to him by the de-
partment. Replacing the torn envelopes
he went back to town and quietly waited
until next evening. Then be proposed
hunt with the postmaster, which was
accepted Crowell tried to borrow a
gun, but purposcly failed, so when he
met the postmaster he SAID: ''Never
mind, we will use your gun, shot about "
This was satisfactory, and Crowell led
the way toward the tree, skillfully
enough, however, to arouse no suspi-
cions. Nearing the tree Crowell, who
was carrying the gun, suddenly said:
"Whist! SQUIRREL" and pointed to
the tree. ''Go there and shake those
vines. saw him run in the hole"
The postmaster, not daring to refuse,
but feeling rather uncomfortable. went
to the vine, shook it, and said: "There
is no hole or squirrel here"
"Ycs there is, said Crowell. "There's
game there. Put your hand in the
hole"
"What do you meant" asked the
frightt ned man.
II mean that saw big game 60 in
that hole yesterday evening, and that /
am post-otfice inspector and have been
hunting that game for three months.
Now haul it out"
The man obcycd, AID Crowcll said,
referring to his little book while he held
the gun ready: ";iivc me No. ETC.,
naming one after the other tho tampcrcd
packages. The prisoner handed each in
a dazed way, and crowell would pleas
antly emark a. each was laid down !:
"You owe me ten dollars on that five
dollars on that" and so continued to the
last. lie then marched his prisoner to
town, but without any apparent sur
veillance. Arrived there, he said
"Now, 90 to your bondsmen, friends,
aud whoever you can, and replace every
cent of that money" BY that night the
money was paid to Crowcll, but the
postmaster was tried and convicted ell
the same.
How was the stealing douc? Simply
enough. A package was cut open, and
the letter inside cut open and the con-
tents removed. There being no postmark
on either, an envelope was forged for tho
direction, and the red envelope replaced
by another properly indorsed in the hand
writing of all who had handled it. The
extra red envelopes he had sccurcl in
New Orleans, on some pretext, from the
Office, and his stock showed up all right.
Three Kinds of Subscribers.